We've been waiting for this place to open for years. We first saw plans at Clifton (Bristol) Zoo…read moreages ago when I'm pretty sure it was described as a safari park. I don't think they'd quite call it that at the moment but it does have that kind of feel to the place. It's a wide open place with a great feel of freedom - despite it being right next to the M5. The animals certainly have a lot more room than at the zoo and if you're somebody who is put off by the 'caged' feel of a zoo this may be for you. It's certainly a work in progress with more animals added each time I've been. I went at the weekend and they've added a brilliant wolves enclosure since I last went. While the animals are great our children love the barefoot trail where you walk... barefooted (how did you guess) across many different materials such as shredded tyres, pebbles and even glass - don't worry it's safe even for our two year old. There's a tap at the end where you can wash your feet but our tip is to take a towel. You'll be the envy of everyone there if you do. There's an indoor play fort, well it's in an open barn so you're dry but not in a stuffy, smelly room like some soft play areas can be. There's quite a few places to have a picnic such as in the fun fort, in a teepee or by the trampolines. Often we'd buy food at these places but it's just so expensive in the cafe that I can't bring myself to part with the money. Over £4 for a very average looking sandwich that wouldn't fill me. Really that's the only shame about the place, the entrance is affordable, the annual ticket is great value for money. It's friendly, it doesn't feel too big. I'd certainly recommend it if you have children.

What were me and my family of 3 really supposed to do here everywhere we went was closed and we…read moreonly saw a few if any animals. Would definitely recommend saving the £40.00! For something better.

What a fantastic day out. This place offers a lot for family's…read more Great value for £8 per adult and £5 for children over two, under twos are free ! The grounds are fantastic lots of open space for the children to wonder and explore and also paths that follow through the trees and gardens. There's a big adventure playground full of lots to explore, zip wire, slide climbing frame etc. There were also blow up slides and a paddling pool. There was a separate area with Wendy houses, trampolines and a climbing frame for the smaller children which was in a really nice relaxing area. You can get up close with pigs, rabbits, guinea pigs and chickens in Pet's Corner. There is 66 acres of beautiful gardens and woodland walks, the views across the River Severn and Wales and spectacular ! There's also a cafe and shop. The cafe is really nice I had a caramel latte with a cheese and chutney sandwich came to £5.50 wich Is good value. Plenty of parking available. Overall a fantastic day out which was really enjoyed by all.

Old Down Country Park is not your typical stately home. It is a farm/zoo/park/house. Great for the…read morewhole family too. They have large lawn areas for picnics, a café for those who didn't pre-prepare food, and lots and ltos of animals. Expect to find your typical farm animals. Goats? Check. Pigs? Check. Sheep? Check. Ponies? Check. Wallabies????check!!! Entry is only a fiver and you can spend the whole day there (weather permitting) walking along the Victorian walls and cooing at all the cute animals.

Before I found the Tesco at Eastville Retail Park was closer to my house I went to a big Tesco…read moresomewhere in the South (Bedminster/Southville area). On my way, I used to see signs for HorseWorld - and was always slightly intrigued by what I might find there. I almost expected to find a world run by horses! Sometimes these children's adventure playground type places are much of a muchness, once you've seen one indoor drop slide, you've seen them all! HorseWorld really does have a lot of horses, which perhaps sets them apart a little. They offer homes to discarded working horses and other horses, ponies and donkeys in general need of love and attention! Prices are reasonable at just under £7 for adults and under a fiver for kids, and there certainly is a lot to do there!

The horses were very very tall…read more They were very well trained and would sit or roll-over at the command of the "chief horse whisperer". Some of the other jockey's were taller than I expected and some seemed to have not even entered puberty. I suspected foul play and that some may have been taking performance enhancing substances but I bit my tongue because we weren't racing after all. In the end I didn't ride a horse (as I mentioned they were VERY tall.. about as tall as a small shed) but I did stroke one and it didn't kick me. Apart from the cheats it was a fully enjoyable day and when I got home I made myself a medal.

This is a perfect place to take young family members who like to run around and make noise!…read more I recently took a young niece here, and she absolutely loved it - an added bonus was that she was so tired out by the end of it her mum said she slept like a log! I remember going to something like this when I was really young too, it offers a ideal mix between being able to see and touch animals like rabbits and pigs, to an adventure playground with those big slides that probably aren't so big when your a grown up but are huge when your little that you sort of drop off almost vertically, with your bum hardly touching the slide! There's also a nature trail. The park is great in nice weather, not so good in the rain but there are still inside things to do. It is also quite reasonable priced - £7.00 adult and £6.50 child, check their website for special offers.

This is a large, leafy recreational area covering 50 acres just outside Bristol with an animal…read morefarm, riverside walks, playgrounds and picnic areas. With stacks to entertain children, it's also a pleasant space for adults, and even when it's sunny and busy there seems to be plenty of space for everyone. For kids, the play arena has trampolines, slides, rope climbing structures and go karts, plus mini golf and the Strawberry Line miniature train. The six or so shire horses kept at the park are a big attraction, and there are lots of smaller animals to see, and even handle (under supervision). The park has falconry displays at the weekends (and during school holidays), plus a nature trail along the river (with a junior assault course running parallel to it). Adults cost £7.50, children (and OAPs) £7, and little ones under 2 go free. The park's open every day from April - end of October, then the indoor play barn is open on weekends and school holidays.

Blue Reef Aquarium is a brand new attraction (opening in November 2009) in Bristol. It is located…read morenear the centre of Bristol at the Harbour Side so really accessible by bus. It is, however a roughly 20 minute walk from Temple Meads Station, so if you are visiting Bristol for the day it might be worth researching bus timetables. Inside, the place is really plush and exciting! It brought be right back to being a kid again, seeing a huge aquarium for the first time! The layout is well designed, taking you slowly through the different tanks with different things to see in each aquarium. I especially liked the large underwater walk-through tunnel. The staff are lovely and really helpful. Once inside, there isn't really any need to talk to any staff as there is more than enough information dotted around, meaning its a good education ploy for parents. Prices are a little expensive, with an adult ticket costing £13.50, and a child £9.20. They do take student discount. A ticket for the IMAX 3D dolphin experience is also included in the price of your ticket, which is well worth it, and the kids will LOVE it!

I have recently set up a small tropical fish tank so when I found out about the Blue Reef Aquarium,…read morenear the Harbour Side, I thought I'd really like to go and see some big fish! Rumour is it cost 4 million pounds to develop the relatively new point on the Bristol to-do map, I guess that's why the ticket prices feel slightly on the high side, it'll take them a few years to clear £4 million! On the plus side, you really could spend hours here to get your moneys worth! The variety and just pure number of fishy friends is quite breath taking, even if your not usually impressed by fish it's difficult not to become a little entrances by them. The 3D cinema was great, a really good idea. Perfect for a rainy Sunday afternoon...

This isn't part of Explore @ Bristol, but it's located right outside the building. It's a bumper…read morecar ride, and there's rarely a queue so you can just pay for as many rides as you want, and with at least one friend, just ride and bump away!

Perfect family day trip to this farm! It is so different from other farms as it has unique animals…read more They have such a big variety of animals and even a park for children to play in after visiting the animals. Price is £5 per adult but can get a season pass for £20 so that's a good price I think and means can return whenever you wanted to. There is a cafe also with a souvenirs shop. Would recommend a trip.

I was told about the Chew Valley country farm by my cousin who had visited it on Easter bank…read moreholiday Friday, I couldn't believe I hadn't heard of it before. We decided to visit on bank holiday Monday. It was a beautiful hot and sunny day which was a good start to our visit. We have a 1 year old little girl who absolutely loves animals and is used to visiting our local community farm in Windmill Hill. We struggled across the stoney forecourt with our pushchair and saw the sign on the door of the cafe asking us to go in to pay, the entrance fee was about £5 per adult. The lady who greeted me was friendly and cheerful and we spoke about the wonderful change in weather in true British style!! We spent about an hour wandering around the various animals, all the animals seemed to be healthy and happy and their living quarters were extremely spacious and clean, our favourites were the sheep, geese and wallabies, we even got to see a baby wallaby in its mother pouch, the information about the animals was very informative and easy to read with just the right amount of information. When we had finished looking at the animals we went and played in the park for a while, the swing for babies was really good and my little girl really enjoyed it, it was surprisingly quiet for a bank holiday Monday and we didn't have to queue to use the swing (we nearly always have to in our local park) Before we left we decided to sit down and have a drink and an ice cream, the ice cream was local and was absolutely delicious, it cost £4.90 for 2 cans and 2 tubs of ice cream which i think is pretty reasonable, So in summary for a nice 1/2 day out the Chew valley farm is definitely a good choice, the £5 entry price is OK considering that you get to see such a wide variety of animals but it does mean that I won't be visiting every week, not sure if they offer any kind of membership but I would probably be interested in it if it was available.

Absolutely brilliant place. Only just started and can't believe how much stronger I feel. Did the…read morethree week course on climbing techniques and the staff member, Ollie, was great. Looking to do this three times a week now (never done this with any other form of exercise!!). Won't be looking to go anywhere else that is for sure

From the owner: The Climbing Academy offers state of the art indoor bouldering in Bristol. We provide everyone the…read moreopportunity to take up bouldering or progress their climbing to new levels in a welcoming relaxing atmosphere. The centre has a shop, showers, changing areas, lockers, courses, competitions and, of course, a great cafe.